Labour Day rally in Halifax highlights ongoing wage, paid sick leave concerns

A Labour Day rally held in downtown Halifax on Monday highlighted ongoing labour concerns in Nova Scotia, including access to paid sick leave for all workers.

Boosting the minimum wage was also a major topic, as dozens gathered for the march.

“We are two and a half years into a pandemic and workers do not have access to paid sick leave in this province as a minimum standard,” said Christine Saulnier, the Nova Scotia director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).

According to data tracked by the group, 54 per cent of Nova Scotia’s workforce doesn’t have access to paid sick leave.

The Nova Scotia branch of the CCPA will soon release a living wage report for 2022, which Saulnier says will highlight the impacts of wage stagnation in the province.

“Lots of people are living paycheque to paycheque, and these inflationary pressures have meant they cannot afford basics. Life should not be a constant struggle,” she said.

The hourly living wage requirement for people living in Halifax is $22.05, according to a 2021 CCPA report. Nova Scotia’s minimum wage is among the lowest in Canada at $13.35.

The province plans to increase it to $15 an hour in April 2024.

“The minimum wage that we have in place in Nova Scotia is disgraceful. And, with the amount of inflation that’s going on and the increasing cost of everyday things, you just can’t make ends meet,” said Debbie Richardson, president of the Halifax Dartmouth and District Labour Council.

1:57 Young Nova Scotians feeling the crunch of inflation

That’s a reality Lisa Cameron knows well.

Cameron is part of the Halifax Worker’s Action Centre, a legal aid clinic specializing in employment law.

“Every day we hear complaints ranging from unpaid wages to racial discrimination, gender discrimination, exploitation of migrant workers, sexual harassment and more,” she said.

She added that while Labour Day celebrates the protections workers have fought for over the years, it’s also an opportunity to build on those successes.

“It also points out the increasing and growing issue of workplace injustice in Nova Scotia and beyond,” she said.